Two British soldiers have suffered minor injuries in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said. A spokeswoman said the pair, and a local person, were hurt in an incident in Lashka Gar, the Helmand provincial capital, in the south of the country. Local authorities have confirmed that a suicide car bomber drove into a military convoy. Meanwhile, four soldiers were injured in an incident involving an explosion in Shaibah, in southern Iraq. This incident happened near the Shaibah logistics base, just outside Basra. Squadron Leader Al Green, spokesman for British forces in Basra, said: "As far as I know they are fine, they are being treated in Shaibah British Military Hospital on Shaibah logistics base."
| "That's in Shaibah, by the way" |
Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched into the latest attack in Afghanistan, which reportedly took place near the provincial reconstruction team (PFT) base, run by British personnel. A spokesman for the governor of Helmand Province told the BBC that it was a suicide bomb attack. And Capt Drew Gibson, a spokesman for British forces in southern Afghanistan, said the attack was carried out "with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device". It was the 17th attempted suicide attack on Nato forces since the beginning of the year, but the first on British soldiers. Friday's blast also comes a week after UK troops escaped another attack near the Lashka Gar base.
Helmand is known to be a centre for the opium trade and still has a Taleban presence. BBC Defence Correspondent Paul Wood said there were fears that the latest attack could stop British troops conducting foot patrols. However, he said that he had spoken to an officer serving in Afghanistan who had made it clear that "their commitment to getting out and meeting people has not been affected by this incident". On Tuesday, three British soldiers were injured in an explosion, in southern Afghanistan.